Genus Pluchea

For Noël-Antoine Pluche (1688–1761), French abbot, seminary teacher and naturalist, lecturer (professor) in humanities, then rhetoric at Rheims before taking holy orders. He was a man of strong principles, which led him to clash with the Catholic Church over various issues. He is best remembered for his writings, which combined natural history and religion. His major work, Spectacle de la nature, was an eight-volume study of life and creation that was translated into virtually all European languages, still appearing in abridged editions in the early 19th century. His other works include Histoire du ciel (1739), La Méchanique des langues (1751), and Concorde de la Géographie des différents âges (1765), as well as works on the Bible and French royal coronation ceremonies.